Our top experts will help you find best cheap mini PC for coding and programming. Programming can be rewarding and fruitful but if you do not have the right equipment, it can become a very frustrating experience. You will not need to cough out a lot of money to find the best mini PC for coding. We have one for every budget. For instance, if you have a budget of 500 dollars, we have a programmer-centric mini PC for that. But we do have few cheap mini PCs on this list that deliver great performance.

What to look for in a mini PC for coding and programming?

Processor – We don’t recommend Pentium, Celeron, AMD E2, AMD A4 processor for a mini PC for coding, because those processors just don’t pack enough power for smooth coding experience. Those CPUs are enough when you are getting a mini PC for home use, webpages visiting or office use but definitely not coding. Ideally, you should go for something like an i3, i5, i5, AMD A6, A8, A10. Also, try to get processors of 5th, 6th and 7th generation for best performance and efficiency. Actually, Intel CPU like Z8300, J3455, etc. are great for coding use.

Large hard disk or hybrid storage – This is another very important component you should keep in mind when looking for best mini PC for coding. Do not settle for less than 1TB hard disk as programming apps take a lot of space. Same goes for projects that create hundreds of files even though you have just started with empty project. If you can bag a mini PC with SSD or hybrid storage, you will enjoy even better performance. If you configure everything yourself, get a barebones mini PC that let you add SSD, HDD and RAM yourself.

RAM – Memory is very important in a mini PC for coding. Programming apps are resource intensive and gobble up a lot of memory quickly. You will be running emulators too and all that requires you to have decent amount of RAM onboard. This is required in order to prevent unexpected slowdowns due to paging. While many will say that 4GB RAM is more than enough for a programming laptop, we suggest going for minimum 8GB RAM for smoother and better programming experience.

Here are the mini PC for coding / programming:

NO. 1
HP Pavilion 510-p030 Desktop
HP Pavilion 510-p030 Desktop has powerful i7 quad core processor and 12GB DDR4 RAM that makes it a very fast computer. While other towers have been standing still, HP has shaken up the category (Check: HP Pavilion 510-p030 review). From its eye-catching design and smaller footprint, to full performance and reliability, this HP Pavilion is the best thing to happen to towers in over 20 years. Check Price and More.

Intel® Core™ i7-6700T, 2.8GHz, Quad-Core Processor

12 GB DDR4-2133 SDRAM Memory

Windows 10 Home

1 TB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, DVD-Writer

HP USB Wired Keyboard with volume control and Wired Optical Mouse

NO. 2
Acer Aspire DesktopThe Acer Aspire desktop is the best mini PC for coding and programming (Check: Acer Aspire Desktop review). It has everything one would need to do development efficiently. You get whopping 2TB hard disk which is ideal for storing those heavy projects and graphics. Powering this little mini PC is the latest 7th generation i5 processor that goes upto 3.5GHz under turbo boost mode. Pair that with 8GB RAM and you have an effective multitasker in front of you. Despite being so small, Acer has managed to squeeze in a DVD drive and seven USB ports into it. This is easily the best mini PC for developers. Check Price and More.

7th Generation Intel Core i5-7400 Processor (Up to 3.5GHz)

12GB DDR4 2400MHz Memory

2TB 7200RPM SATA3 Hard Drive

Intel HD Graphics 630

Windows 10 Home

NO. 3ACEPC AK1 Mini PCPerformance wise, the AK1 is probably best suited for light video watching or day to day web browsing and e-mails. The main purpose of the AK1 (check: AK1 review, AK1 vs HP, AK1 speed test) isn’t supposed to be a power house gaming machine but more of an almost portable machine capable of normal web browsing and computer usage. Web browsing is just as quick as using my main Intel i7 desktop, although sites that have a lot of active content like embedded video take slightly longer to fully load. Check Price and More.